A Research Of Intertextuality Strategy In Olga Tokarczuk’s Novels

Olga Tokarczuk(1962--)is one of the most influential and dynamic writers in modern Poland and even in Europe,her work is highly praised by Swedish Academy as “An encyclopedic passion for the narrative imagination,representing a way of life that transcends borders”.She is good at discussing such topics as Polish history,ecological ethics and gender ethics in a lively and witty way,it enables the readers to think in the random shuttle of myth,legend,national history and real life,which can not be separated from the intertextuality strategy which plays an important role.The intertextuality strategy is most prominent in Tokarczuk’s novels,and there is a hidden connection between it and the ethical appeals of universal significance.Therefore,this thesis will focus on the four novels of Tokarczuk: Prawick i inne czasy,Dom dzienny,dom nocny,Prowad? swój plug przez ko?ci umarlych and Anna In w grobowcach ?wiata,as well as two other novels(Bieguni and Ksiegi Jakubowe),on the basis of text analysis,analyzing and explaining the textual embodiment,the ethical appeals and the reasons of intertextuality strategy in the novels.The thesis includes three parts: introduction,body and conclusion,of which the body consists of four chapters.The introduction focuses on Tokarczuk’s life and literary creation,the reasons of the thesis topic selection,and the domestic and foreign research status of Tokarczuk’s novels,the definition of the term “Intertextuality” and the research methods,significance and innovations of the thesis.Chapter one analyses the allusion in the novels of Olga Tokarczuk.There are two main types of allusion in the novels: One is self-text allusion,which includes unique characters,repeated images,echoing plots and same narrative strategies;The second is other text allusion,which can be subdivided into the classics of dialogue literature and other text allusion of reappearance of Polish history,the former includes Moby-dick,which looks at the fate of its character,the wandering god of eternal movement in Ancient Greek mythology,and the Biblical myth,which implies the survival crisis,the latter “reappears”the brutal world war,the purges and the post-war identity crisis.These rich and varied intertextual allusions not only make the unique and open Tokarczuk-like literary universe established,but also produce and highlight the survival ethic connotation,together,they paint a realistic picture of the lives of ordinary people in survival crisis.Chapter two focuses on adaptation in the novels of Olga Tokarczuk.There are three types of adaptation in the novels: Firstly,the adaptation of folklore,such as the adaptation of The legend of the Saint Wilgefortis in Dom dzienny,dom nocny;Secondly,the adaptation of fairy tales,such as the parody of Little Red Riding Hood in Prowad? swój plug przez ko?ci umarlych;Thirdly,the adaptation of mythological epics,such as Anna In w grobowcach ?wiata retells the Sumerian religion epic Inana goes to the underworld.The main ways of adaptation are replacing the background of the story,adding and changing the plot,adjusting the narrative mode,exchanging the gender of the roles and changing the characteristics of the characters,etc.,therefore,this kind of adaptation belongs to the feminist adaptation,which to a certain extent highlights the ethical connotation of gender,talks with and challenges the patriarchal-centered literary tradition,to bring longmarginalized,repressed and silenced female figures to the spotlight in the centre of the stage,to let them make their voices to audiences around the world,to make people hear the sins of the patriarchy.Chapter three discusses citations in the novels of Olga Tokarczuk.There are two kinds of citations in the novels: One is the self-citation connecting the writer’s overall creations,which includes poetic dwelling scene,car image,boundary forest image and mushroom image,all of them are symbolic symbols with ecological ethics connotation;The other is the citations from other texts in the classics of dialogue literature,which mainly include the philosophical poem Marriage Between Heaven and Hell of William Blake,prose poem The house of Kahlil Gibran,the plot of Ancient Greek mythology in which the queen of the dead return to Hades in winter while stay on Earth in spring and autumn,and the image of “God’s Lamb” in Biblical mythology.The contents of the citations have many forms of expression,such as intertextual title,the first words of the volume,the poems of the chapter and the postscript,and the fragments embedded in the main text.They not only enhance the artistic charm of the novels,but also form and highlight the ecological ethics connotation of “Protecting natural ecology and constructing harmonious coexistence relationship”.Chapter four explores the ethical appeals of intertextuality strategy in Tocarczuk’s novels and its reasons.To a great extent,the intertextuality strategy highlights and enriches the ethical connotations of the novels,and expresses various ethical appeals closely related to women,human beings and even nature,these include “Examining patriarchy ethics,establishing the system of feminist ethics” “Actively reflecting on the survival crisis,exploring a spiritual Eden on the move” and “Removing anthropocentrism,building a new relationship between man and nature”,has the very strong ethical enlightenment significance.The reasons of intertextuality strategy can not be separated from the individual and social levels: From personal perspective,the writer’s unique literary and artistic view and the anxiety of predecessors’ influence are the preconditions for the writer to use intertextuality strategy;From a social perspective,Poland’s rugged social history,long-standing Catholic tradition and western cultural trends(especially the trend of intertextuality creation)are very important factors.In the conclusion,at first,the paper gives a brief overview of the whole text,and then analyzes the significance of intertextuality strategy in the novels of Tokarczuk: In the aspect of writer’s creation,Tokarczuk has formed a unique style of intertextuality creation;In the aspect of literary classics,literary classics are full of new vitality in the interaction and dialogue with Tokarczuk’s novels;In the aspect of readers’ acceptance,although readers have reading difficulties to some extent,they also begin to reflect on the realistic problems reflected in the communication and exchange with the novel texts.